Order Up!: Get Lost in Hidden Through Time

Like a lot of people, I’ve been cooped up at home a lot lately. Indefinite work from home, online classes, less for-fun socializing… needless to say, it’s an anxiety-inducing time, and one of my big things lately is searching for games that help pass the time, relieve stress, and let me enjoy the (much more frequent) quiet moments in my life. Fortunately, Crazy Monkey Studios’ Hidden Through Time came into my life.

Less dramatic than my usual brand of hidden object games – which are often known for intense plotlines – Hidden Through Time embraces all the wonder and joy and frustration of a Where’s Waldo book, in an pretty, interactive package. On the bottom of your screen you’ll see a selection of items, people, and animals to search your map for. Hovering over each picture will give you a small clue about where you’ll find it. Once you’ve found enough, you can move on to the next map if you’d like, or you can continue trying to find everything. You’ll move through three distinct eras as you explore time.

It’s a fantastically simple and clean setup. Moving
throughout the map is easy and seamless, supported by a really nice feature to
zoom in and out as needed. Once you spot one of your objectives, click it and
it will be highlighted as complete on the objective list.

While there isn’t any grand story with plot twists and turns
to keep track of, the map still has plenty of life to it while you work. Bunnies
hop, travelers ride camels through the desert to far-off oases, and birds peck
the ground. When you click on something – even if it’s not one of your
objectives – it will often react or make a noise. You can peek into houses to
see what people are up to, and check inside some boxes or sarcophagi. The
charming liveliness of each scene is lovely (my particular favourite is the
scarab that longs to be as cool as one of the golden statues decorating the
buildings). They’re super-small details that help make Hidden Through Time just
a little more magical without being overwhelming.

Between the maps and a calm, lovely little looping
soundtrack, the game is incredibly relaxing and enjoyable. It’s also one of
those rare games that is excellent both for unwinding for long periods of time,
and picking up and putting down quickly between zoom classes or whenever you
have a few minutes available. The game saves automatically and so far I haven’t
had it undo any progress, no matter how quickly I’ve closed it out. Sometimes
I’ve left it open to listen to the music in the background and occasionally
find an objective in between homework or writing tasks. In windowed mode it’s
easy to tab in and out. It’s been a constant companion for me in the past week
and a half.

Hidden Through Time’s most special feature, however, is a
map editor that lets players create their own stages. You can choose your time period
to select objects from that group (or mix and match if you’re so inclined). When
setting objectives, you can add hints. Many of the many buttons are quick and
easy to understand, and the map editor was simple enough to figure out with no
instructions. It adds an extra touch of fun and creativity to an already
wonderful game.

I will say that the story mode is a little short. I’m hoping
someday we see an update or DLC with some more countries or time periods. But
with the map editor and custom maps to play, you’ll find plenty of content
here.

If you’re so inclined, you can grab Hidden Through Time at a great price of only $7.99. It’s a refreshingly calm bit of comfort that’s easy to get into no matter what type of player you are or what your attention span is.

Order Up! is a weekly column featuring indie-focused reviews, news, or interviews! We like old games just as much as new ones and are always looking for something to check out. Have a game recommendation, a project, or a company you want to talk about? Email me at [email protected] or find me on Twitter @ArcanaChance